School for Student Leadership

During their stay at Gnurad-Gundidj, students have the privilege of attending photography classes with acclaimed Australian photographer David Tatnall.

David Tatnall is renowned for his luminous images of the Australian landscape. His photographs have achieved iconic status as emblems of successful Australian nature conservation battles. He has been awarded a Life Time Contribution Award by Parks Victoria, and an Honorary Life Membership of the Victorian National Parks Association for his lasting influence on nature conservation in Victoria through photography.

Within his photography lessons, David gives an introduction into the art form of nature photography and discusses its influential role in Australian political change. David displays a number of his own personal masterpieces and cites examples from his background to support this discussion.

Students are then given an opportunity to learn how to use our manual Vivitar SLR cameras in an interactive photography session with David. Through exploring a range of wide angle and macro shooting techniques, the students gain an in-depth understanding of the local environment and how it can be interpreted and understood through photography.

School For Student Leadership

School for Student Leadership is a Victorian Department of Education and Training (DET) initiative offering a unique residential education experience for year nine students. The curriculum focuses on personal development and team learning projects sourced from students' home regions. There are three campuses in iconic locations across Victoria. TheAlpine School Campus is located at Dinner Plain in the Victorian Alps. Snowy River Campus is near the mouth of the Snowy River at Marlo in east Gippsland. The third site is adjacent to Mount Noorat near Camperdown in Victoria’s Western District, and is called Gnurad-Gundidj. After consultation with the local aboriginal community, this name represents both the indigenous name of the local area and an interpretation of the statement "belonging to this place".
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Our school community acknowledges the Gunaikurnai, Bidawel and Gundijmara people as the traditional custodians of the land upon which our school campuses are built. We pay our respects to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, their Elders past and present, and especially whose children attend our school.